


I Can't Control You (I Don't Know You Well)

by azerblazer



Series: Forged of Ice and Iron [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Thor (2011)
Genre: Disregards all timelines, Gen, Loki being silently clingy, M/M, Pre-Slash, Protectiveness, Tony actively encouraging it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-01
Updated: 2012-09-01
Packaged: 2017-11-13 07:44:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/501122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azerblazer/pseuds/azerblazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"From the moment I stood up for you in that cave you became mine. You are going to work for me, live with me and if I have my way you are going to eventually develop Stockholm Syndrome and love me."<br/>Stubbornly ignoring his rapid heartbeat, he tried to parse out if the mortal was joking. It looked like it could go either way honestly. </p><p>Or</p><p>Loki wakes to a cave, manages to create a friendship with Tony Stark that neither of them talk about, and eventually follows him back home when the whole terrorist kidnapping business is done with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Can't Control You (I Don't Know You Well)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Comatose](https://archiveofourown.org/works/481268) by [mikuridaigo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikuridaigo/pseuds/mikuridaigo). 



> Warning: Unbetaed. Apologies for any mistakes I've missed beforehand.  
> This was inspired after reading a much better and longer fic than this called "Comatose" by Mikuridaigo.

Winds ripped at his magic and mind; and he could never get a full breath. It was chaotic and sanity breaking, he merely shut his eyes and kept on replaying the rejection of his father, and his oaf of a brother's tortured expression. It was marginally less painful than whatever was happening to his body at the moment.

Homesickness welled up immediately. And he wished to be back home, where he is only Odin's son and Thor doesn't choose Midgardians over him.

He keeps on falling anyway.

-

Loki awakes with a sobbing gasp and almost collides into the face above him.

"Welcome back sleeping beauty." 

He glances around wildly, hoping for a hint of some kind, but all he sees in the low light is machinery of a sort and various scattered metal pieces. Before him are two men, ragged and dirty.

One has a heavy box attached to wires that lead into his chest.

"What-" He rasps, face clammy and a headache that pronounces massive amounts of his magic is depleted.

"You fell from the sky and survived apparently," The older one replies, nudging a tin can with suspicious looking water towards him. He takes it anyway; although his hands are shaking enough to drop it all over his front.

The younger, grabs the cup and much to his indignation tips it into his mouth.

"You woke up earlier, delirious, raving about a rainbow bridge and for your father."

Loki stiffens and with wobbly limbs pushes the cup away and turns around, saying nothing else until they let him be.

-

He is in Midgard, he eventually gleans, and it makes Loki want to rip irony apart and burn the pieces because he would rather kill these two than suffer more of the indignity. 

But they hold him down and feed him, and the younger takes to inspecting his outfit, wondering aloud about the make and the fact that apparently no one wears this much leather without being some kind of fetishist.

He tunes him out, whenever he can. It makes his company unsurprisingly palatable.

He has horrifying nightmares about the void and the never ending sensation of falling and not being able to breath. When he wakes, Anthony, the younger, doesn't say anything and merely offers him some silent company while he works at the bench; building something that requires many cables and metals.

Loki quietly asks what he's doing, and lets the lull of the strange and structured process wash over him and chain him to this little room with the volatile Anthony Stark and the calm Ho Yinsen.

-

Their silent agreement of quiet companionship is rattled when the leader of their captors - _Ten Rings_ what a gaudy name- comes in to encourage Anthony to work faster.

They hold a gun to Loki's face, because while Anthony is the builder, and Yinsen is a useful translator and crackpot surgeon, Loki is just the strange man who was found lying on the ground nearby without any footprints to show for it.

He was once known by the name Sky Traveler, but this fall hadn't been very voluntary. 

Anthony stumbles and brings himself up, with the greatest straight face he's ever seen and says that he is needed, vital, important part of the process. He keeps notes and Anthony is too used to having something give an automatic feedback.

The excuse is paltry at best, but Anthony stares and bluffs like a champ, because all of a sudden they're alone again, previous board game completely discarded and all of them are slightly shaking.

-

Anthony becomes Tony after that, although Yinsen calls him Mr. Stark anyway because that is just his way.

He apparently sounds like 'Shakespeare' and _there's enough drama and tragedy going on around here thanks._

So.

He shares his life with a spastic 'genius' who has nightmares of being drowned whenever he gets his daily two hours of sleep, and Yinsen who tries to mediate their daily magic vs science fights with varying levels of success.

His magic doesn't respond, but he watches the shine of Tony's arc reactor and pretends the hammer he uses to mold metal to their needs is enough to protect him.

-

Tony puts together various sheets of thin paper together and it forms something that makes Loki actually crack a smile in its deviousness and trickery.

-

He is not used to loosing so much sleep, so he is careless with his tongue and only until later does he realize what he spilled while half aware.

"Jotun?"

He snarls reflexively and suddenly eyes the hammer in his hand with a much darker purpose. Tony holds his hands up in a calming gesture, before explaining how he'd outed himself as an ice giant to them last night. They had seen his skin turn blue as even his illusion began to wane at the lack of magic.

"You seem kind of puny for a giant," Tony starts, and ducks the thrown hammer with a sharp cackle that echoes in the dirty cave. Yinsen sighs heavily and shakes his head with a small smile.

-

They share the cot, leaving Yinsen to his own, his age having joints creaking alarmingly. And when they wake up sprawled together they merely push each other and make comments about the other's horrendous sleeping habits.

Loki's nightmares lessen.

-

They're cradling Yinsen between them, he's bleeding out too fast, and Loki curses mortal weaknesses to Hel and back.

"You'll both be alright," He says with a smile, teeth flecked with blood, "You've got each other now, you'll be fine." His body jerks, "Don't waste it, don't-" and then he seems to fall unnaturally still.

Even through Tony's generally blank face, Loki sees his hands curl into fists and his jaw grind tight.

"Let's go."

He has a feeling the nightmares will return with a vengeance.

-

"Get up you useless mortal." Loki hissed, tugging the dazed Tony up from his crash in the sand. Mortals were very weak, it was amazing that he didn't break his neck on the landing.

"Jesus, tell me how you really feel baby," Tony muttered, nevertheless grateful for the alien strength keeping him upright as they staggered away from the landing site.

They made a good hour of walking before Tony passes out. Deciding to rest from the annoying heat, Loki just sat where he stood, bring Tony down with greater softness. Black eyelashes fluttered open and Tony moaned before rasping out a question.

"You fainted." Tired glee in his voice alerted Tony to the fact that Loki would never let him forget it as long as he lived. He meant to threaten Loki into striking it from the record that he ever did something as humiliating as faint, but he coughed out dustily instead, lips cracking and bleeding faintly.

Loki looked alarmed, "What is it now you fussy human thing?"

"Thirsty." He rasped, they all couldn't have amazing godlike biology.

Looking around, Loki muttered to himself snidely about the utter useless of Earth terrain as there were no signs of water anywhere.

"'S a desert, no water for miles."

"Well that's just-"Loki cut himself off in a fit of anxious rage. "Do you _really_ need it now?"

"I get three days tops without water before I croak." Loki clutched him, uncaring of the sweat seeping into his own clothes as he heaved him up.

"We need to get to a settlement. Now."

-

Tony had been reduced to a rasp and Loki was taking most of his weight even though his own body strained with extreme fatigue. 

"Lucky." he heard mumbled. 

"What is now, you noisy thing?" Tony had taken to spouting random equations and talking to a Jarvis before seeming to come back to himself and growing quiet again. They'd tied their shirts to their heads to protect their necks from the unforgiving sun.

"You're almost freezing," Tony plopped his head on the junction of Loki's neck. "You said you're a frost giant, bet you don't even feel this heat- Jesus you're like an ice cube."

Loki froze, an idea occurring to him that made him want to immediately forget it. But at his current level of magic he couldn't even make illusions, let alone conjure water.

"A Jotun is a monster, Tony. Made of ice. Of course I'm cold."

But ice was also frozen water, and although the racket they had made leaving the mountains was sure to attract the attention of Tony's people, he didn't want to take the chance of making the dehydration get worse.

A part of him recoiled from what he was about to do, but the rest of him wanted Tony to live, Yinsen had made them promise to live, and Loki was not about dishonor his noble sacrifice.

"Here, suck." Holding up two fingers that were rapidly turning blue, he made sure to keep a tight rein on his temperature, too much and Tony's tongue would get immediate frostbite.

"I have been told I'm excellent at that." he latched on and Loki fidgeted slightly at the sight of Tony hollowing his cheeks, adam's apple bobbing temptingly as the crystals forming around his fingers were instantly melted in the heat of Tony's mouth.

Loki rolled his eyes at the suggestive look Tony sent him even while almost dying of thirst."You're impossible." 

Even so, he lowered his shields significantly, skin turning blue and eyes already red. Tony was left wide-eyed, sucking like a child.

"Holy shit," His voice sounded better at least and Loki slammed his illusion back up, magic dwindling down again.

"No nonono. Go back, that looks amazing."

Loki sneered, squinting at the dune they were trying to climb.

"It's an abomination. All Jotun should be eradicated."

"Ah no? No." Tony replied flatly, "You, my friend, will not be 'eradicated' any time soon." The tirade gave him some strength as he pulled away and began to stagger on his own. Loki was grateful for the reprieve, even a small weight like Tony; but his fingers flexed unconsciously.

"You are going with me to California. Don't worry about a job, you can be my Pepper mark 2."

Amused, he felt a ridiculous grin spreading across his face, it was of course the heat finally getting to him,"Really."

"Yes really, you'll wake up with a tattoo of my name on your ass if you're not careful." Tony stopped at the crest of the dune, turning a piercing look that had Loki feeling like he was visually tracing the lines of his Jotun form from memory.

"From the moment I stood up for you in that cave you became mine. You are going to work for me, live with me and if I have my way you are going to eventually develop Stockholm Syndrome and love me."

Stubbornly ignoring his rapid heartbeat, he tried to parse out if the mortal was joking. It looked like it could go either way honestly. He could detect no lies, and his reply was drowned out by the arrival of several flying machines Tony had explained were their ride home, helicopters.

-

"Tony what-"

"You think you can change your form a bit? I don't think you have any papers on Earth and I'd rather not have anyone snooping about right now."

He closed his eyes briefly before opening them at Pepper's gasp. He'd kept his face shape but changed his hair to red curls, and a neatly trimmed beard made a bigger difference in making his face unrecognizable.

"Beautiful." The same expression crossed Tony's face as when he'd seen his Jotun form in the desert. Loki ignored it, focusing out the window at the strange Midgardian culture speeding past. Pepper and Tony got into a heated debate he politely pretended to listen to.

"...Cheeseburger first."

While waiting for their order, Tony sizing up Loki and ordering a whole bagful of "cheeseburgers" just for him alone, Tony got a call from his house.

Literally.

"How's everything holding up Jarvis?"

"It has been remarkably clean and quiet without you sir." 

Loki seemed interested in the voice, its accent similar to Loki's own. Tony seemed to realize that as well, machinations and ideas running through his head before being pushed to the side as their orders arrived.

"Pepper, meet Jarvis, your cousin twice removed hailing from Britan."

"Should I have an ID made up along with the proper papers, Mr. Stark?"

"Yup."

"Will you tell me his actual name and not something you just came up with on the spot Mr. Stark?"

Loki grinned through his mouthful of burger at the rapid back and forth between the two; even as Tony waved a fry at his person. 

"Meet Loki, God of Mischief and Trickery blah blah. He came from another realm called Asgard. He's my bro. Or something."

"Shield Brother." Loki corrected, long suffering. Pepper gave him an understanding look that those who hung around Tony learned sooner or later.

To her credit, Pepper merely raised an eyebrow and rolled right over the whole alien god issue with the ease of a pro. 

"Shall I have a wardrobe ordered for you Mr. Loki?"

Sipping at his soda, he wrinkled his nose at the bubbles in his drink, and switched it out with a grinning Tony's milkshake. He declined politely.

"I shall take care of that myself, thank you for your generosity."

"Oh yeah, he's magic." Tony made a face at the 'M' word.

Pepper nodded, completely ignoring Tony's grumblings on magic. Loki was beginning to see why she had been kept on to work, he'd learned only select people had the patience to deal with Tony so often. Impressive.

They pulled up to the curb of where a swarm of people with microphones and a seemingly endless stream of questions.

"Show time." Tony pulled his last burger before leaving the car, the swarm enveloping him and another man that Pepper quietly introduced as Obadiah Stane. They followed the crowd, Loki disposing of the empty burger bag, instincts telling him there was about to be some mischief worth watching.

He was right.

-

He watched with narrow eyes as Tony showed the reactor to Obadiah. Fingers twitching when he got close enough to button up the shirt. He was currently only visible to Tony while a copy stood besides Happy outside.

He tugged Tony's shirt back and with a smug air, Tony followed, leaning slightly against him, continuing his conversation with 'Obi'.

A panicked fluttering feeling started up again the more Tony interacted with others; Loki tried to squish the irrational jealousy. Months with only each other to talk to and he's still wanting to be the only one Tony interacts with. Childish.

He keeps a hand on the back of Tony's jacket, ready to push him back at any sudden moves from the older man.

-

"Morning." 

"Odin forsake you, why are you up this early?" Loki slumped against the breakfast bar. Tony slurped up his coffee.

"Didn't sleep, was making a newer arc reactor." He drummed his fingers on it, and suddenly Loki just _appeared_ right in front of it.

"How did you remove it?"

"I had Pepper do it for me, it's like the game, Operation."

"And there was no side effects?"

Tony shrugged, unmindful of the pale hand splayed across the thing keeping him alive, Loki had helped make the original one after all. "Slight cardiac arrest, but only for a couple seconds; Pepper had small enough hands to stick it in there."

Loki frowned lightly, tapping the arc reactor pensively before letting it go.

"My magic can't touch it." Not even the weak tendril he sent. The extent of his reserves.

Tony moved away and began to rifle through the fridge for the egg carton, "It can't? That good or bad?"

Loki took the discarded mug of coffee and took a tentative sip before gagging slightly. He set it back and tried to look like he wasn't trying to get rid of the taste burning his tongue.

The amused look Tony sent him told him it wasn't as successful as he hoped.

"It's unknown to me at this time." He didn't like to have such an important part of Tony unavailable to him through magical means. Although that does mean others couldn't influence it either.

Pretty soon there was a sizzling and then Tony slid a plate with something steaming and fluffy on it.

"Eat up, it's an omelet. One of the things I do know how to make in the kitchen that doesn't involve a wrench and some wires."

"It's good. Another." Loki commanded imperiously. It was a tone way too uppity for a man wearing Tony's old AC/DC shirt and some sweats, but he did it anyway with different condiments and some cheese just for some change.

He got his own coffee and some orange juice for his new roommate. 

-

Pepper often finds them knocked out on the cot in the workshop, and sighs exasperatedly before covering them with a blanket. She never says anything about their strange closeness, merely lets Loki mesh in with their day, a constant shadow immersed in scrolls, books and the occasional tablet with a movie playing always in the same room or close by Tony.

For one thing, with him there to interact and play with her employer, she hasn't had to boot any random lays out since he got back. She isn't sure if they're sleeping together, since whenever she wakes them up they're in the same bed fully clothed.

She's grateful nonetheless.

They settled into what might be tentatively called a routine. Of course there was some mishaps that ended in them randomly having to perform first aid, when Tony's tinkering with the flight stabilizers caused him to crash into a rack of hanging tools, or Loki's forays into meshing his magic with mortal technology backfires spectacularly.

Mutual blackmail ensures they never repeat the time that Tony launched himself face first into the overhang that was behind him. Or the time that Loki tried to power the flight stabilizer and set the couch on fire.

It works. To the surprise of everyone involved.

They wake up and Tony makes or orders new dishes for Loki to try, cheesy pizza, fresh sushi, pita bread. Eventually he cajoles Loki into releasing his Jotun form out and have Pepper stumble into them yelling at each other trying to define the word 'Monster'.

Embarrassingly, she sends them to different corners and does the whole, "You guys are adults and eventually have to start acting like it" before complimenting Loki on his handsome coloring and telling Tony he has a meeting coming up with Obi when he returns from New York later that night.

-

Surveying the mess of his previously neat scrolls he rounded on the metal suit of armor now inching towards the garage's exit.

"Well I'll just..." Tony shot off, almost smearing himself on the walls before he got used to the thrusters.

Loki followed, newest staff in hand as he shot several bolts of magic at the speeding metal figure going faster than him.

He levitated, carefully minding the strain it put on his small and still healing reserves. The only thing left to him was the icy tendrils that he loathed.

But Tony got such an amazed look on his face when he used them, so he sent them out anyway, stopping the climbing figure and freezing him midair. He passed Loki with a series of panicked grunts and mutters until the flaps on the suit opened and cracked the ice.

His faltering energy was totally worth it though. He used the last of it to teleport back to the house, just in time to see Tony crash through the roof all the way down and hit one of his precious cars.

Dummy sprayed him with the fire extinguisher, and Loki petted it proudly.

-

Tony returns from his party with a frown, and Loki gets another reason to slug Obadiah in the face at the first possible opportunity.

-

"What are you thinking?" Loki murmured, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the tense human besides him. Tony tightened his grip on the screwdriver. The gauntlets glinted from the large television, Loki looked over and saw the carnage on screen. More terrorists and innocents lives being slaughtered.

He was a warrior, lives were lost everyday; and yet still something small twisted painfully inside him at the sight. He saw the panic in children's faces as they were ripped from parents; and he knew now, intimately, how that felt.

How helpless and furious he was at how they had taken someone close to him and threatened Tony if he didn't build their petty war machines. He knew how it felt to be the one being used as leverage.

"Yinsen had a family in Gulmira, once." Tony said, face blank, eyes raging. 

Yes he had, like the victims on screen. He had been probably forced to watch them die as well. Idly, Loki wondered if this is what Odin felt when he did not wish for Jotunheim to be eradicated. 

"Yes." Loki sighed heavily, feeling suddenly so tired of everything if he was to resort to identifying with the Allfather. He probably gave the old man too much credit anyway.

Tony stood suddenly and a high pitched whine of machinery before the gauntlets blasted the glass walls, shattering it utterly. A fierce unsmiling glee filled Tony, and he did it again and again until Loki stepped up and placed a cautious hand on his shoulder.

The fragile human frame under his hand shuddered before straightening, and Loki felt an incoming headache build up.

"Jarvis." Tony said, gently grasping Loki's hand and squeezing before letting go and striding over to the square mat, machines began whirring and attaching the gaudy red and gold armor to him.

"If you are killed in this venture, I will make sure Hela drags your soul from Valhalla to berate you for your stupidity. And I will bring Pepper with me." He states calmly for all that his insides are twisting in sudden nervousness. They haven't been apart from each other since they met.

"Ouch. Low blow." Tony said, neck being affixed with a metal that clasped his chin before the final part of mask as it snapped shut echoed in the space. 

The armor whirred in what Loki presumed to be a status check, and he stepped forward almost unwillingly, "Tony..."

"Come with me." 

That stopped him. "-What?"

"You heard me. Put on your leather and chain getup from before, we're doing this incognito, and the media knows you as a a random redhead. Your true form is the perfect disguise." The flat mechanic voice echoing from the suit felt wrong to Loki, but it had the same thread of attitude that Tony wore like a badge. 

A flash of gold and his armor replaced the slacks and button up shirt; the familiar weight seemed to bring back some of his old habits because he felt the smirk curl his face as his helmet materialized alongside a favored scepter.

"If I may impose sir," Jarvis began before a panel lifted up in front of Loki, showcasing a tiny machine he'd seen Tony implant in his ear before."It will allow you to be in the same encrypted channel as us." 

He inserted it without further prompting, suddenly hearing the familiar huff of amusement. 

"Ready to go princess?"

The dual tones were odd but he teleported to the roof in a flash, concentrating his magic to his feet in the manner of Tony's boots. A flash of red and blue fire was all he saw until he flew up besides him, a flicker of his fingers and a shield protected him from the whipping wind.

Unlike the first flight, they flew in anticipatory silence to battle. 

Loki felt that he and Tony would have made Asgard proud. In another lifetime.

Midgard was his realm now.

-

They try not to feel like children caught stealing sweets when Pepper come across them and the bullet holes that perforate their coat and suit respectively.

They fail.

-

"You're all we have you know." Tony says, glancing towards the other man lounging alertly against the couch, watching the proceeding and toying with the staff Tony built for him.

And it was true, besides each other these past months Pepper has been their sole other supporter. And in Tony's case that went for years.

She leaves, USB clutched tightly in her hand.

Tony slumps and Loki sidles up next to him, leaning on the desk and bumping knees together.

"This is what caring about someone to the point of leaving looks like then?"

"Yeah. Mortals. What are you gonna do?" Tony snorts out pinching his nose.

Loki grasps his head, bringing their foreheads together, easing the rapid throbbing of a small headache with a lowering of his body's shield that has become like a knee jerk reaction to Tony's temperature. 

"I don't get you mortals, and sometimes I don't think I want to." He doesn't understand why she would leave now, when Tony needs her most desperately.

"Ain't that the truth," Tony stays in his grip before jerking back and grinning fiercely up at him, "Do me a favor."

Loki cannot deny him.

-

"I'm going to give you the meeting of your life. Your office."

"Ah, if I may join you Pepper?"

The woman jumps slightly and Loki doesn't miss the way the other male made an aborted attempt at his jacket, weapon maybe? He joins them smoothly, well aware of the eyes on his back right now.

"He sent me to check up on you."

Phil looked between them both as a secretive smile was shared. 

-

"He's not answering back. Why is he not answering?" 

A terrible feeling is enveloping Loki and he is running full tilt outside until he's out of view enough to find a dark alley to teleport back to the house. 

He almost crashes into Rhodey's car and both men shoot off into the house. They find Tony face down amidst scatterings of broken glass in the garage and Loki almost forgets to take his next breath as Rhodey turns him around and he barely holds it together when wide brown eyes blink up at him, old arc reactor in place.

"Obadiah. He took the arc reactor."

"That son of a bitch." Loki utters, going over to the drawer that holds the latest scepter that is compatible with both Tony's tech and Loki's magic.

It's a brilliant gold and only opens out with his special brand of Jotun ice magic. While Rhodey is admiring the suit that's being fitted onto Tony, he is checking the new stone that he'd installed to amplify and refine any short bursts of magic, into something like Tony's flight stabilizers.

"Ready to go?" Tony asks, and Loki merely attaches the Bluetooth headset before letting the golden glow of his magic enfold him; armor and leathers already swaying as he walks over to the gaping Rhodey. His helmet is left off, as it affects the flight pattern when he goes as fast as Tony. 

"Pepper's still in there." Tony says when they're back in the air and headed towards the fight. Loki does not like the idea of Pepper alone with Obadiah.

Tony calls her and both of them can hear the whir and hum of Obadiah pointing a gun at her, Tony dive bombs him just in time, and Loki is right behind him, trying to keep the civilians out of their way, freezing any tires in the area.

Trying to keep Tony from being flattened by a screaming mother in a minivan.

When Obadiah casually destroys any civilian vehicles in his reach, Loki feels intensely grateful that Tony had never gone off the insane scale and decided to rampage. Turning a suit against civilians is something much more along the lines of what the Ten Rings do.

Tony brings the fight to the air, taunting and challenging the other to follow and Loki hangs back, knowing that Tony won't freeze up. The test run and subsequent revenge had been useful for that at least.

He hears Tony's "How'd you solve the icing problem?" and smirks in satisfaction as he sees the plummeting figure of the traitor, clearing a path for him to land in a place that doesn't squish easily breakable mortals.

His smirk drops off at the sputtering figure falling uncontrollably down and he rises up fast enough to catch him, and carry them both to the roof.

"What happened?" he asks and Tony answers distractedly about the inferior version of the current arc reactor. Frustratingly, Loki still can't affect the thing so they're stuck with Loki's still low magic, all the flying occupying his stores. They are ambushed by Obadiah once more, and both try to make sure none of the deadly bullets and rockets make contact.

He jumps up behind him and simply slides his staff inside the neck and swipes to the side, cutting off some very important wires. He punches and dents the head just for good measure. Tony yells out a plan to Pepper on the roof, and Loki yells back to get his ass out of there or else.

He's batted away while he's yelling and lands on another roof, winded and feeling a bruise forming on his ribs. The Bluetooth is smashed on the concrete next to him and he sucks his teeth before staggering upwards once more and limping over as fast as he can to the other rooftop in time to see Obadiah aiming at Tony, whose barely hanging on even through the sparks of electricity and energy exploding from the building.

He gathers his last scraps of magic and manages to teleport shoddily and he's about to make it to Tony's side when everything goes white.

-

They wake up in the same bed, oddly enough. With no memory of how they got there. Bruised and battered but alive.

Jarvis untints the windows and lays out the schedule for today, luckily only a press conference dealing with how to spin the very public fight yesterday. And Obadiah's death.

Loki will see what he has to do in order to get him kicked out of Valhalla and put into Hela's realm.

"Odin forsake you, Jarvis, turn down the sun." Tony mumbled into his pillow and burrowed deeper inside the covers.

Loki huffed out a tired laugh and leaned back, muscles aching and magic drain making his brain feel like it went a few rounds with Mjolnir.

He falls back asleep and can only be woken when Pepper comes in to prod them into suits and bandages for the press conference that's in an hour.

-

"The truth is..." Tony pauses and feels Loki sidling up besides him; biting back a smile. The "Stockholm Syndrome" was working. Although Pepper and Happy had called it something silly like "friendship".

"I am Iron Man." 

-

"You are going to be my ace in the hole. So awesome job on not revealing yourself." They get out of the car, letting Happy go home and heading up towards the door.

Loki wryly commented, "I figured there were enough big reveal scenes. I'd like to save my first time for a special occasion."

Tony waggles his eyebrows, "Oh honey you know I'll wait as long as you want to."

The door opened and Tony called out for Jarvis. His reply slowed down and stopped abruptly and Loki had his staff out and ready to blast something when the voice from the living room called out.

" _'I am Iron Man_ '. You think you're the only superhero in the world?" A black suited man walk up to them from where the window was. "Mr. Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet." Evaluating Loki, who'd dropped his illusion as soon as they stepped into the house _dammit_ , something passed through his expression. 

"Or maybe you already do. Mr. Laufeyson." He greeted, blithely ignoring the shaking rage that name produced.

"Who the hell are you?" Tony asked, stepping slightly in front of the sneering Loki. The other stepped forward, revealing his scarred face.

"Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm here to talk to you, both of you, about the Avenger Initiative."

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: Fury's knowledge of Loki's last name and what the timeline in this looks like will be explained in the sequel, please suspend your belief until then my darling readers.  
> Thank you and it was my pleasure.  
> -Azer


End file.
